Wedding Emcee - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Maritime Q-Scout · 06-04-2005, 01:04 PM

I'm emceeing a friends wedding in the fall. I only have known the bride and groom for about 4 years, and never lived in the same city with them. We're good friends (one of those things you meet people and just "click").

They asked me to be the emcee, because they don't want any of that childhood funny story stuff, and because I'm a good public speaker, and naturally funny guy (apparently).

Just wondering if anyone has any advice, jokes, ideas of what I can do?

This is the first time I'll be emceeing a wedding reception (first of many I'm sure, friends have already asked me to for their weddings, whenever they happen) and haven't been to many weddings in the past.

Ideas, suggestions, thoughts?

RougeUnderoos · 06-04-2005, 01:14 PM

Drink a lot of booze. A lot. Get really drunk. Then talk about the bride's undercarriage and your personal opinions of certain ethnic groups.

Or... don't get drunk and keep it as short as possible. You don't want to sound like an auctioneer of course but don't ramble on and on.

And tell the people not to clink their damn glasses so the happy couple has to kiss.

KootenayFlamesFan · 06-04-2005, 03:29 PM

Kind of a timely thread..........I'm going to be emceeing(?) a wedding in 2 weeks.

I'm lucky though...........the bride and groom are both very organized. They pretty much gave me a detailed schedule for the night and told me they want the reception to be short and sweet. Makes it a lot easier for me. Plus it's fairly small, about 100 people, so it's not like I'll be standing up in the middle of a stadium.

The only thing I would say is not to steal the couple's thunder. Try not to be a stand-up comedian. Maybe throw in a couple short funny barbs or comments, but otherwise stick to the program.

If you want Jon, I can keep in touch with you after a few weeks, let you know how it went for me, and give you some helpful comments or advice. Let you know what went well, and what didn't, so you don't make the same mistakes.

JiriHrdina · 06-04-2005, 08:42 PM

One of more jobs is to move things along. As other people mentioned - don't worry about being funny. Just being natural and stick w/ the program. Your job is to make sure things move along at a brisk pace and that the focus remains on the couple.

Buff · 06-04-2005, 10:09 PM

Do not act like you are a few cards short of a deck and say "I'm the MC, do you know what MC means? Mentally Challenged!"

I was at a wedding where this happened and a few people walked out.

Sylvanfan · 06-04-2005, 10:31 PM

Well one good one that an emcee did at a wedding that is PG enought to go on any time is.

Take the mike, ask the bride to place her hand on the table, than have the groom place his on top. Than proceed to tell the guests that they just witnessed last time the groom will ever have the upper hand in the relationship.

If all is going bad, just yell San Dimas Highschool Football rules and bolt out the door.

Maritime Q-Scout · 06-04-2005, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sylvanfan@Jun 5 2005, 01:31 AM
Take the mike, ask the bride to place her hand on the table, than have the groom place his on top. Than proceed to tell the guests that they just witnessed last time the groom will ever have the upper hand in the relationship.

I just laughed out loud at that, and it's 2am with my parents asleep in the next room.

HI LARIOUS

I'm sooooo doing that!

flamingchina · 06-05-2005, 12:20 AM

I've seen the hand thing being done.
And to touch on the glass clinking thing, discuss with the bride and groom what they want to happen.
My sister and brother in law made people sing songs with the word Love in it.
(Unfortunetly my famjily is pretty sing songy, so there were lots of songs.)
But songs, poems, stuff like that is all good, because the clinking gets reeaaal annoying

shoestring · 06-05-2005, 12:52 AM

Keep a little list around to make sure you acknowledge everyone. It can get tricky with friends and exes. And find some extra cudos for the parents. They will be the people you most want to impress or be best friends with. They know everybody.

Don't use any jokes that might offend anybody for any reason.
Short "future kids/dogs/family" snippets work well.

Follow the good advice above and have fun. It's a fun gig and remember you wouldn't have been selected if they didn't think you could do it.

But Rouge's advice might be fun and Fotze might be looking at the same granma's I am looking at.

Maritime Q-Scout · 06-05-2005, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by KootenayFlamesFan@Jun 4 2005, 06:29 PM
Kind of a timely thread..........I'm going to be emceeing(?) a wedding in 2 weeks.

I'm lucky though...........the bride and groom are both very organized. They pretty much gave me a detailed schedule for the night and told me they want the reception to be short and sweet. Makes it a lot easier for me. Plus it's fairly small, about 100 people, so it's not like I'll be standing up in the middle of a stadium.

The only thing I would say is not to steal the couple's thunder. Try not to be a stand-up comedian. Maybe throw in a couple short funny barbs or comments, but otherwise stick to the program.

If you want Jon, I can keep in touch with you after a few weeks, let you know how it went for me, and give you some helpful comments or advice. Let you know what went well, and what didn't, so you don't make the same mistakes.

yeah that'd be awesome

I've got a file on my desktop of ideas to use

JBR · 06-05-2005, 05:57 PM

Tell the story about the time you and the groom went to Peurto Rico and picked up... "well I guess they were prostitutes, but I don't remember paying!"

That will keep them rolling in the aisles. Then French with the Bride's great aunt.

Shawnski · 06-05-2005, 06:32 PM

First of all, good luck.

This is a special occasion for the bride and groom. They are going to remember the day, but not necessarily every single event.

If you get nervous, for whatever reason, you might say:

"Geez, why am I so nervous, it is not like the shotgun was pointed at ME today!"

Then say that you are just kidding and (having previously confirmed this) roll into how both sets of parents are proud to have the other (bride/groom) become part of their families.

Levity is OK, in minor doses, but the main purpose is being a facilitator (keep things on track and moving along). Introduce each speaker with a short, polite, and respectful introduction. Be prepared for as many people as you think might speak, whether they are on a "list" to do so or not. If someone gets long winded with their comments, at any appropriate "pause", you can just announce something to the effect of... "Awesome, let's drink to those words for the bride and groom. Thanks Mr, Mrs, Miss, 'X'"

On closing is where you indicate your friendship and affection for the bride and groom. You can open with that type of statement, but then you lose one method to be able to bring the events to a close (begin food service, begin dancing, etc) in a clear message, with everyones attention.

Just some thoughts, I wish you, and KFF, the best on your MC'ing events.

fredr123 · 06-05-2005, 09:04 PM

How about working in the Homer Simpson classic: Webster's dictionary defines wedding as the process of removing weeds from one's garden.

Buff · 06-06-2005, 12:04 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Shawnski@Jun 5 2005, 06:32 PM

Levity is OK, in minor doses, but the main purpose is being a facilitator (keep things on track and moving along). Introduce each speaker with a short, polite, and respectful introduction. Be prepared for as many people as you think might speak, whether they are on a "list" to do so or not. If someone gets long winded with their comments, at any appropriate "pause", you can just announce something to the effect of... "Awesome, let's drink to those words for the bride and groom. Thanks Mr, Mrs, Miss, 'X'"

You have to be really carefull with that though. You don't want to hurt anyone's feelings because you cut off their speach. Especially if it is something like the bride's parents welcoming the groom into the family or vice versa.

Frank the Tank · 06-06-2005, 06:33 AM

My best friend Mike had one of the best openers I've ever heard and I was lucky enough to have him emcee my wedding. He started off with this gem;

"Being asked to emcee a wedding is a lot like being asked to make love to the Queen Mother..........(pause for snickers to die down).........its a great honour, but you really wish somebody else would do it".

My poor grandma almost crapped herself she laughed so hard.

Mccree · 06-06-2005, 11:32 AM

Go to a key shop and get some keys (they should give you some rejects). Hand the keys out to all the girls of ALL ages (before the bride and groom get there) and during the meal announce that because so and so is married could all the girls return his house key. Then the parade starts of all the ladies returning keys. Pretty fun when our MC did it at my wedding.

Bring_Back_Shantz · 06-06-2005, 11:41 AM

One of the best one's I've ever seen was at my cousin's wedding. The MC started asking them a bunch of weird questions like "Where you guys staying tonight", "You gotta get up early?", "Is the hotel room nice", and them leads very matter of factly into "So what are you guys doing after this? Cause me and the groomsmen have no plans, and we got a couple cases of beer in the truck...so if you're not doing anything, you guys wanna hang out or something?"

It was absolute gold because everyone was sitting around durring the first couple of questions asking themselves what the problem was, and why he was asking such stupid questions. It seriously took 5 minutes for the room to quite down from all the laughing so that he could continue.

MRCboicgy · 06-06-2005, 03:40 PM

I jsut MC'ed and was the best man for my best buddy's wedding, it was a great time. Basically I used alot of self depriciating humour to fill time(i'm chubby, single, gay etc) and got people to come up and tell a story about the couple(only the couple together no singling out) or donate money to the pot to get them to kiss, the larger the $$$ the better the kiss--let's just say the 2 50's they got were defintiely 50 dollar kisses.

StoneCole · 06-06-2005, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sylvanfan@Jun 5 2005, 04:31 AM
Well one good one that an emcee did at a wedding that is PG enought to go on any time is.

Take the mike, ask the bride to place her hand on the table, than have the groom place his on top. Than proceed to tell the guests that they just witnessed last time the groom will ever have the upper hand in the relationship.

If all is going bad, just yell San Dimas Highschool Football rules and bolt out the door.

Ataris rule

KootenayFlamesFan · 06-06-2005, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Frank the Tank@Jun 6 2005, 05:33 AM
My best friend Mike had one of the best openers I've ever heard and I was lucky enough to have him emcee my wedding. He started off with this gem;

"Being asked to emcee a wedding is a lot like being asked to make love to the Queen Mother..........(pause for snickers to die down).........its a great honour, but you really wish somebody else would do it".

My poor grandma almost crapped herself she laughed so hard.

That is pretty good!

Might have to steal that one!